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Sheriff: California mom held captive for weeks emotional after release

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Updated: 12:11 PM CST Nov 25, 2016

Shasta County Sheriff's OfficeSOURCE: Shasta County Sheriff's Office

Sheriff: California mom held captive for weeks emotional after release

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Updated: 12:11 PM CST Nov 25, 2016

SHASTA COUNTY, Calif. (KCRA) —

A Northern California sheriff says a woman missing for three weeks was "very emotional" after a passing driver found her on the side of a rural road.

In an interview Friday on "Good Morning America," Shasta County Sheriff Tom Bosenko said authorities are looking for two women they believe kidnapped 34-year-old Sherri Papini on Nov. 2 after she left for a jog.

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He says Papini was released Thanksgiving morning about 150 miles south of where she disappeared near Redding.

Bosenko says Papini was found bound by restraints near Interstate 5 but was able to flag down a driver. The mother of two was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Bosenko says Papini was "obviously she was emotional and quite upset but elated to be free."

The sheriff's office did no give additional details as to what injuries Papini suffered, but that her injuries were non-life-threatening.

"She is safe, in stable condition and receiving medical clearance at an undisclosed hospital," the Shasta County Sheriff's Office said. "She has been reunited with her husband, Keith."

A $50,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of the abductors.

Anyone who see anything is asked to call the Shasta County Sheriff's Office at 530-245-6135.

Investigators believe that Papini was abducted from the area where she went out for a jog, but no motive has been released.

"We are overjoyed with the fact Sherri has been located and reunited with her family," Bosenko said. "This investigation has not only touched our entire community, but has circulated the nation as well."

A private group working with Papini's family released a new video Wednesday offering up $100,000 to anyone with information leading to the safe return of Papini, according to NBC affiliate KNVN.

The group vowed that law enforcement would not be involved in the exchange and that there would be no questions asked.

"We don't care if you're a convicted felon, if you're a person with a warrant out for your arrest or a drug addict," the man in the video said. "You lead us to Sherri, we give you more money than you can spend."

The same group offered a $50,000 reward last week and set a deadline of 115 hours, which came and passed, so the group upped its reward.

Although detectives initially focused their attention on Keith Papini, he passed a lie-detector test, and officers confirmed his story that he was at work when she went missing, according to the Shasta County Sheriff's Office.